Research of the Irrigation Detachment

The expedition detachment of the Institute of History, Archeology, and Ethnography of the Academy of Sciences of the Kazakh SSR studied the methods of water supply and irrigation of the Naimankala settlement.

The ancient settlement is located in the northeastern Semirechye, 2 km east of Arasan, Kanal district, Taldykurgan region. The soil within the boundaries of the settlement is currently heavily swamped. The source of waterlogging is rivers, streams, and springs flowing from the mountains of the Dzungarian Ala-Tau. On the south side, the native valley adjoins the settlement, stretching from west to east for 3 km, from south to north - for 4 km. On the eastern side and 1 km from the ruins of the ancient settlement, the river Bien flows.

Archaeological and topographic surveys revealed three small irrigation systems that were topographically connected with the Naimankala settlement. The source of the first irrigation system was found 3 km from the settlement upstream of the river Bien. Here, on the ground, the remains of the main canal with a bed width of 3-5 m and a depth of 0.2-0.5 m can be traced. The slope is quite significant and amounts to 5-6 m per 1 km. After 3 km, the route of the first irrigation system approached the settlement of Naimankala and connected with the river Bien. The total length of the system is about 3 km. In plan, it has a solo sinuous configuration. The source of the second irrigation system was found 2 km upstream of the river Bien from the ruins of the settlement. The canal route (width 2–3 m), about 2.5 km long, also had a strongly tortuous configuration.

Traces of the third system were found on the opposite right bank of the river Bien. The route of the main canal has been partially preserved. Its length is 1 km. The width of the channel is about 3 m.

The uplifted ceramic material found on the terraces of the canals and the ceramics found in the cuts of the channels dates back to the 9th-10th centuries. The upper layers of the settlement of Naimankala date back to the same time.

On the basis of the found remains of canals, one can confidently speak about the occupation of the inhabitants of the settlement by irrigated agriculture. The sources of the canals that supplied land on the slopes with water, as a rule, were located 1-1.5 km from the place where the water was discharged to the command marks. A large slope caused the sinuosity of the tracks.

Indirect confirmation that the inhabitants of Naimankala were engaged in agriculture is the stone millstones of hand mills found during settlement excavations.